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Writing The Body In Memoir: How To Work With What Our Bodies Know
Civil Rights and Structural Attacks: A Conversation with Walter Riley
This event is over, it happened on
June 7, 2026 at Local Economy in Oakland, CA
Come meet a legendary figure, Walter Riley.
A civil rights activist in the Jim Crow South, he organized voter registration, sit-ins, job campaigns, and was a Field Secretary for CORE in the Southeast Region. He became a San Francisco State University activist for ethnic studies, and was a member of the Black Student Union and Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). Riley has worked as a criminal defense and civil rights lawyer since the 1980s. He is a loving father and grandfather.
If you ever wondered where Boots Riley gets his deep conviction and labor movement knowledge, you have his father, Walter, to thank.
Riley visits Local Economy to celebrate his new book, Civil Rights and Structural Attacks, co-authored with Oakland organizer Jesse Strauss, who will join him in conversation along with East Bay Yesterday host Liam O'Donoghue. Get ready for eighty years of lessons from the Black freedom struggle, labor movements, and internationalism.
Co-presented with East Bay Booksellers, books will be available for purchase and signing.
Date:
June 7, 2026
Time:
5:00 PM
6:30 PM
Event website: https://luma.com/b4fz5atz
Event type:
Community
Originally posted to:
Rockridge District Association Events Calendar
Local Economy is a small, flexible community space on the College Avenue stretch of Rockridge, a few doors from East Bay Booksellers. It looks and feels like a bright neighborhood storefront set up for people to gather rather than a traditional venue. Inside, most things are organized around a long central table where talks, workshops, book clubs and game sessions all happen in close quarters. more...
